Vallos: Difference between revisions

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The arrival of three separate groups of settlers established an extremely large range of polities throughout Vallos by 1 AD, with Tainean and Latin polities being roughly equal in number and Polynesians ruling the south in larger realms.

===Loose Caphiric hegemony===

The warring states period necessarily invited outside intervention as the various states tried to court powerful allies on [[Sarpedon]]. By [[600]], the situation drew the attention of the [[Caphiria|Caphiric]] [[First Imperium]], still at its relative zenith of power. Diplomats from Caphiria began to arrive on Vallos at ca 600, followed by promises of tribute and alliance between Caphiria and local powers. The First Imperium, contrasted with later Caphirian states, aligned itself equally with disparate Tainean, Latin, and Polynesian states, not showing favoritism necessarily to the Latin city-states. As tribute began to flow east across the [[Tainean Sea]], leaders in Caphiria recognized the potential value of further intervention in Vallos. In [[702]], Imperator XXX personally led a campaign at the head of roughly 23,000 across the Tainean into Vallos, an unprecedently large military for Vallos. The Imperial army, in support of various local polities, waged a campaign of extreme violence, and due to the size and training of the force it won every battle it fought and could not be opposed by any local power. Rather than directly annex territory, the Imperium reorganized Vallos into eleven tributary states out of the previous dozens of polities and city-states. Critically, the new eleven tributaries did not consider local cultural lines but instead were created on geographic features allowing ease of governance. The so-called "Undecimvirate" established loose Caphiric hegemony over Vallos, though none of it fell under direct Imperial control.

Under the Undecimvirate, rulers were generally hereditary and had the title of King, although each new King required confirmation by the [[Imperator]]. All eleven were expected to submit a quarter of their total yearly revenue to Caphiria as tribute, a figure later changed to a flat rate. Tribute was generally determined by an examination of the realm finances by a diplomat from Caphiria, and in most cases the historical record suggests they greatly exaggerated the annual income of the realms to their detriment and Caphiria's benefit. The Kings had no obligation to one another, but were generally discouraged from conquering territory. Raiding between the Kings was still allowed, and once a flat rate tribute was introduced, raiding became an extremely common practice as the Kings fought to ensure timely payments. On more than a dozen occasions, the First Imperium's armies were forced to campaign on Vallos in order to remove a subordinate King who failed to pay tribute or otherwise attempted revolt.

Despite the heavy hand of Caphiric influence and continued raiding, the Undecimvirate established relative stability in Vallos for hundreds of years, only collapsing with the final end of the [[Second Imperium]] in [[1172]]. During the more than four hundred years of Caphiric influence, Christianity was introduced to the region and became the primary religion of all eleven realms.

===Piratocracies===

@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 The arrival of three separate groups of settlers established an extremely large range of polities throughout Vallos by 1 AD, with Tainean and Latin polities being roughly equal in number and Polynesians ruling the south in larger realms.
 ===Loose Caphiric hegemony===
+The warring states period necessarily invited outside intervention as the various states tried to court powerful allies on [[Sarpedon]]. By [[600]], the situation drew the attention of the [[Caphiria|Caphiric]] [[First Imperium]], still at its relative zenith of power. Diplomats from Caphiria began to arrive on Vallos at ca 600, followed by promises of tribute and alliance between Caphiria and local powers. The First Imperium, contrasted with later Caphirian states, aligned itself equally with disparate Tainean, Latin, and Polynesian states, not showing favoritism necessarily to the Latin city-states. As tribute began to flow east across the [[Tainean Sea]], leaders in Caphiria recognized the potential value of further intervention in Vallos. In [[702]], Imperator XXX personally led a campaign at the head of roughly 23,000 across the Tainean into Vallos, an unprecedently large military for Vallos. The Imperial army, in support of various local polities, waged a campaign of extreme violence, and due to the size and training of the force it won every battle it fought and could not be opposed by any local power. Rather than directly annex territory, the Imperium reorganized Vallos into eleven tributary states out of the previous dozens of polities and city-states. Critically, the new eleven tributaries did not consider local cultural lines but instead were created on geographic features allowing ease of governance. The so-called "Undecimvirate" established loose Caphiric hegemony over Vallos, though none of it fell under direct Imperial control.
+Under the Undecimvirate, rulers were generally hereditary and had the title of King, although each new King required confirmation by the [[Imperator]]. All eleven were expected to submit a quarter of their total yearly revenue to Caphiria as tribute, a figure later changed to a flat rate. Tribute was generally determined by an examination of the realm finances by a diplomat from Caphiria, and in most cases the historical record suggests they greatly exaggerated the annual income of the realms to their detriment and Caphiria's benefit. The Kings had no obligation to one another, but were generally discouraged from conquering territory. Raiding between the Kings was still allowed, and once a flat rate tribute was introduced, raiding became an extremely common practice as the Kings fought to ensure timely payments. On more than a dozen occasions, the First Imperium's armies were forced to campaign on Vallos in order to remove a subordinate King who failed to pay tribute or otherwise attempted revolt.
+Despite the heavy hand of Caphiric influence and continued raiding, the Undecimvirate established relative stability in Vallos for hundreds of years, only collapsing with the final end of the [[Second Imperium]] in [[1172]]. During the more than four hundred years of Caphiric influence, Christianity was introduced to the region and became the primary religion of all eleven realms.
 ===Piratocracies===

Vallos: Difference between revisions

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